formed within it. At length, when the appointed hour has arrived, out of the body of this crawling thing breaks forth the winged splendor of the butterfly; not the same body, but a new one, built out of the ruins of the old; even as St. Paul tells us, that it is not the same body we have in the resurrection, but a nobler body, like ourselves with all the imperfect and evil things taken away. No more creeping for the butterfly; wings of splendor now. Neither has it yet lost the feet wherewith to alight on all that is lovely and sweet. Think of it-up from the tiresome journey over the low ground, exposed to the foot of every passer by, destroying the lovely leaves upon which it feeds, and the fruit which they should shelter, up to the path, at will through the air and a gathering of food which hints not the source of it, and is but a tribute from the loveliness of the flowers to the yet higher loveliness of the flower angel! Is not this a resurrection?" faltered in their service. The two Marys, Salome and Joanna, had followed Him in their ministries from place to place, while living. They fol- · low Him to the Cross and the sepulchre. The affrighted disciples seem to have been scattered. But for Joseph of Arimathea, who would have tenderly lifted Him from the cross, and given Him a fitting burial? Who so fearless and faithful as to join the funeral train of one thus executed? "And the women also, which came with Him from Galilee, followed after and beheld the sepulchre, and how the body was laid. And they returned and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the Sabbath day, according to the commandment." These fragrant preparations of love they took to the sepulchre early on the morning of His Resurrection. Thus the Christian woman, with quiet, everhoping, ever-loving patience, still believes and bears the cross when others give up all for lost. Her love anoints the feet and head of Christ while living, and His whole body when dead. Few things impress a thoughtful person so sadly as the abject, degraded, and suffering condition of woman among all heathen nations. By some she is placed on a level with the brute, without a soul, and unfit for man's society. Mil "IF Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain." And "if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins." All illustrations and images, whether drawn from the sphere of mythology or of nature, afford at best a very imperfect explanation of the fact of Christ's Resurrection. Alions of new-born females have been fact, however, it is, foretold, and in due time, divinely fulfilled. Had this closing Wonder failed, all the preceding Gospel wonders would have been ineffectual. But "now is Christ risen, and become the first fruits of them that slept," and "the pledge of our own resurrection." This fact is not a subject that can be fathomed and explained by reasoning. That Christ was "dead and buried, and the third day rose from the dead," is an article of our undoubted Catholic Christian faith. THE death and burial of Christ affected His disciples and few devoted friends as a personal bereavement. Those who ministered to Him with such tender and unselfish devotion during His ministry, must lavish the best offerings of the heart upon His corpse, now that His soul has departed: The pious women never forsook Him from fear, never killed, because they were considered useless. Could any one be found to write a history of woman's woes in heathenism, what a tale could he unfold! Her inborn sensitive nature and capabilities help to give an edge to her wrongs. The Greeks shut her up in a private room in the house. She had to spend her life with the slaves. In Athens she was treated as a minion. The Greek husband conversed less with his wife than with almost anybody else. Aristotle said that woman had no will of her own, and was hardly capable of a higher virtue than the slave. And when the historian, Liberius, saw Anthusa, the pious mother of Chrysostom, he exclaimed: What women these Christians have!" At length comes the great Deliverer, the greatest of woman-born. His human excellencies He derives from a woman; His early piety is measurably moulde l and trained by her. In His teaching mother must see her son ruined; her and treatment He recognizes and sym- husband changed into a coarse brute, pathizes with her. At length woman spending his wages for rum, treating has found a Friend, an elder bro- her with shameless cruelty, and letting ther;" one who "sticketh closer than a her and her family suffer. They can place brother." She does well and wisely in two or three rum holes side by side, a half ministering to Him while living; in a dozen in one square, where youths showing her weeping love by being the and older people are led to ruin. Chrislast at the Cross and the first at the tian communities look on. Here and sepulchre. How much does she owe to there one says that it is too bad. What Christ! Although man, as a father, a is there done to close these flood-gates husband and a brother, is in a certain of vice, and arrest this tide of evil? sense her lord, yet He is gently led and The new state of Kansas has taught moulded by her. In the charitable, our older states a salutary lesson, and a missionary, and other religious minis- timid little woman helped to carry the tries of the Church, how much do we day. Last fall a bill was before the Kanowe to her provident, untiring work. sas Legislature, prohibiting the manuIn all religious assemblies have we not facture and sale of strong drink. It regenerally two women to one man? quired a two-thirds vote to submit the Often as I see pious women weeping as bill to the people of the State for final they receive the holy communion, I am action. At midnight the vote was taken reminded of the grateful, pious, Gal- in the House of Representatives. The ilean women, weeping at the cross and temperance people lacked one vote to the sepulchre. And could we read the gain the day. As their hearts sank religious history of each one, it would within them, a gentle little woman passclearly appear how often and how ed along the crowded aisles of the House, patiently Christ has walked by their straight up to her husband, and plead side through dangerous and dark places, with him, for her sake and for that of upholding and helping them in every their children, for the good of Kansas time of need. Oh that the millions of and the glory of God, to change his the degraded, suffering daughters of vote. And he did change it, whereupon Eve could soon learn to know, believe the victory was won in the Legislature, in, and love this, their best Friend and and the people did the rest. It was a only Deliverer! quiet little woman who saved the day.” In some parts of our country drunkenness seems to be on the increase. The liquor interest represents so large a number of votes that both political parties are courting its favor. Laws prohibiting the sale of liquor on Sunday, and to minors are openly violated. Efforts to punish the offenders in most cases fail, despite the undoubted testimony against them. A man can in many cases tempt a half-grown boy to get drunk every day with perfect impunity. Dozens of prison reports show that two-thirds, in many cases, threefourths of their inmates were led into crime by drunkenness. Families are impoverished, heads and hearts are broken, characters are ruined, and the soul is destroyed; court and prison expenses are doubled, indeed, quadrupled by this evil, and yet there seems to be no available remedy to stop it. Usually women are the greatest sufferers. The In a late number of the GUARDIAN, we gave a brief sketch of Dr. Philip Nicolai as a writer of German hymns. While pastor in Unna, amid the ravages of the pestilence, he was busy day and night comforting the sick and dying. At length the deadly plague came into his own family and carried away his nearest kin. Intent on his sad mission of mercy, he continually meditated on the article of everlasting life, secured through the blood of Christ. One morning he sat in his study, wholly absorbed with solemn thought and painful concern. At length his spirit rose above surrounding pain and peril to his divine Redeemer. In this exalted frame of mind his ardent loving faith embraced his only Deliverer. In blessed ecstacy he became unconscious of all earthly things around him, and began to pour out his soul in the composing of the well known hymn: "Wie shön leuchtet der Morgenstern, Voll Gnad und Wahrheit von dem Herrn, Die süse Wurzel Jesse." He forgot his usual midday meal, and kept on writing till he had finished the hymn at three in the afternoon, when he returned to his friends, quite beside himself with joy. Originally he wrote it as a bridal hymn, in which he glorified natural marriage into the blessed wedlock between the believing soul and its Bridegroom. Thereafter he revised it in the form in which we now have it. It became the most popular wedding hymn at all Protestant marriages. Long thereafter many people thought if this "Morning Star," as they called it, was not sung at their wedding ceremony, their marriage was not duly performed. What's in a name? Rothschild may write his name and it means five million dollars. That of as good a man as he, with more brains and true wisdom, may not be worth five cents. There was a time when a bank check with Milton's name would scarcely have been worth five dollars, and now Milton's name, written by his own hand would sell for five times that amount. At a late sale of autographs in Baltimore, the name of Hawthorne sold for $3.75, that of Daniel Webster for $1.50, that of Henry Clay for $1.05, and that of George Bancroft for $1.20. Many a man whose work and credit, however good, would scarcely buy him a meagre meal while living, is after death honored with extravagant prices for his autograph. Not only had the living Homer to beg his bread in seven cities which claimed him as their own when dead, but even England allowed her great Kepler to starve! How much Kepler's autographs now sell at in England we know not, but surely the price of a single one would board and clothe the good man six months if he were still in the flesh. It is the way of the world for people to build monuments for the prophets whom their fathers have killed. He whose name is above every name, after receiving the cruel and igno minious treatment of the worst of malefactors, has for centuries been adored by hundreds of millions as their only Saviour. A pious little girl wished to do something for her Saviour's cause. Enclosing $2.50 in a letter to a certain treasurer to buy some missionary tracts, she wrote: "She who takes the freedom to ask so much of a stranger, began this letter with a trembling hand. She is young in years and in knowledge, and is not able to talk much with a strange gentleman on religion; but her mother has taught her almost eleven years to pray, Thy kingdom come,' and she believes she cannot be praying it sincerely if she does nothing to help it on among the heathen. This thought emboldens her to write to a stranger, almost as though he were a friend." WE have often watched with a sympathizing interest the singular ingenuity of the blind. Through raised lettera God teaches them to feel the printed page, and thus they see and read with the tips of their fingers. How sharp is the hearing of some blind people. Our colored friend, blind Mose, carries his basket of notions through our streets, and offers them for sale from house to house, with no guide but his cane and sharp ears. "Where do you want to go to, Mose?" said we to him a few days ago as he was gently tapping the pavement with his staff in front of a certain house. "Into this house, sir," he softly replied. We led him up the steps and rang the door bell for him, and were well rewarded with his cordial "thank you, sir." The poor soul has discovered more with his blind eyes than many who have eyes to see. He has found Christ, and sees Him by faith, as the Light of his soul. He hears from the tread of his feet and the sound of his staff when he approaches a crossing. Thus a kind providence compensates for the loss of one blessing with the improved capacity of another. A poor blind girl in England brought $7.50 to her pastor for the cause of missions. He said to her, “You are a poor blind girl and can not afford to give so much." "I am indeed blind," said she, "but can afford to give this amount better, perhaps, than you suppose. I am by trade, a basket maker, and can work as well in the dark as in the light. During the last winter it must have cost the other girls making baskets who have eyes, more than $7.50 for candles to work by, which I have saved; and therefore hope you will take it for the missionaries." We put this girl's pious act in the GUARDIAN as a little sermon to all our readers, on the duty of helping to support the cause of Christ, and will let each one make the application. A certain official who has charge of more than 100,000 prisoners has made special efforts to ascertain the causes of their crime. He says he does not recollect a single case of capital crime where the criminal was not a Sabbathbreaker, and that in many cases a desecration of the Lord's day was the first step in their downward course. He says that nineteen out of twenty of these -100,000 criminals neglected God's holy day and other ordinances of religion, and that many of these warned their surviving friends from the gallows against the sin that led to their fall. Another prison official says: "Ninetenths of our inmates are those who did not value the Lord's day, and were not in the habit of attending [public worship." Coming out of a certain Sundayschool one day, in passing along the street, we overheard an oath coming from a group of finely dressed young men, evidently having just come from some of the Bible classes of neighboring schools. Indeed one was a very manly young person of our own school. We felt sure the oath did not come from him, but very sorry to find him in such company. Do our Sunday-school teachers dwell sufficiently on the great sin of profanity? We have repeatedly heard oaths coming from groups of boys returning from Sunday-school. By the way, Saint Chrysostom gives us a good recipe to cure swearing. He says to a certain father: "Wouldst thou know by what means thou mayst be rid of this wicked custom of swearing? I'll tell thee a way, which if thou wilt take will certainly prove successful. Every time, whenever thou shalt find thyself to have let slip an oath, punish thyself for it by missing the next meal. Such a course as this, though troublesome to the flesh, will be profitable to the spirit, and cause a quick amendment; for the tongue will need no other monitor to make it take heed of swearing another time, if it has been punished with hunger and thirst for its former transgression, and knowing it shall be so punished again if ever it commits the like crime thereafter." Christ's Last Journey. BY THE EDITOR. "O Lamb of God, was ever love, "The path of glory leads but to the grave." Lord Bacon "The great blessing of the Old Testament is prosperity, and that of the New Testament is adversity." And a greater than he says that through much tribulation we must enter the kingdom. The soul's Gospel journey is clearly mapped out by our Saviour. With bleeding feet, and bruised heart He trod every foot of the rugged, thorny path from the cradle to the grave. At each end of His mediatorial ministry He withdrew into a desert place or wilderness. After His baptism at Bethabara, or the fording place of the Jordan, He was led up the steep mountain, bordering the Jordan Valley, into the wilderness of Judea to be tempted of the devil. In Paradise the first Adam was tempted by the devil and fell. In Palestine the second Adam was tempted and triumphed over the devil. And just before the last week of His sufferings at Jerusalem, He "went into a country near to the wilderness into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples." John xi. 54. This was a small town about five miles west of Jericho, right on the edge of the wilderness of Judea. He must have retired to this place in order to evade the curious, noisy, persecuting crowd, not willing "to walk any more openly among the Jews." At this period it was no easy matter for Him to find a quiet place. From the time He left Capernaum, all along the Valley of the Jordan, He had to follow a stream of Passover pilgrims going up to Jerusalem. As His custom was, He blessed, com- lence and seclusion when we fall back forted and healed the people on His from the noisy conflicts and restless strijourney. Ten lepers were cleansed, of vings of earth-born interests, where, whom only one returned to give thanks. Then an afflicted woman, a dropsical man, another of a different disease were healed, and poor blind Bartimeus, of Jericho, received his sight. He comforts the sisters of Bethany by restoring their dead brother to life. And the little children He blesses and caresses, and presses them to His heart of hearts. No one can sympathize with and heal the sorrowing as Christ can. And all this while He is the saddest and the most sorrowful one among all these people crowding around Him. But enough. He must have a brief respite of undisturbed meditation and prayer before the week of His passion. devoutly alone with God, we take our bearings anew, and from this lofty outlook see clearly whither we are tending, and to what extent we still abide in Christ and He in us. Thus by sincerely turning the eye of our faith inward to learn our need and weakness, and then to Christ, we gather divine strength from holy resolutions, and receive grace to carry them out. In this season, commemorative of Christ's Passion, the pious soul seeks some quiet nook where to be alone in prayer. For this reason German Christians. call Passion week die stille wache (the quiet or silent week). In spirit all the Christian world goes up to Jerusalem at this season; goes Among this vast multitude of Passover with Christ through His sufferings, gathpilgrims, how few withdrew with Christ ers around Calvary to witness His agoto Ephraim! How few followed Him all nies on the cross. The ancient passover · along His remaining way of sorrow! gatherings are said to have been very Alas, of the many that are called, how large, but in numbers and solemnity canfew are chosen! "If we suffer we shall not be compared to the hundreds of also reign with Him." Once He re- millions who in our Christian passover minded the multitude what they must seasons turn their holiest affections and expect if they followed Him; to lose all faith towards the Gospel Jerusalem. for His sake. Therefore they should Let us see to it that we keep this feast count the cost. How frank and truth-"with the unleavened bread of sincerity ful He is, without the faintest effort to and truth." allay the fears of the timid with flattering hopes. All would not have to suffer to the same extent, but all must be willing, if need be, to abandon and sacrifice self. In this season, when many are called upon to take up the cross and become His disciples, let the severer duties and experience of a Christian profession be kept in view. "Behold we go up to Jerusalem," is addressed to all of us. No cross, no crown. No conflict, no victory. No service in Christ's vineyard, no reward. If "the captain of our salvation has been made perfect through suffering," surely His soldiers too must fight the good fight of faith. And fighting means self-denial, the enduring of hardship, and sorrow. Not that our trials in themselves are meritorious, or can save us, but they are none the less needful for us, as a discipline and a test of our integrity. We all need our little Ephraim of retirement and meditation, where the busy world can not obtrude. Seasons of si "Come all ye weary, worn and sin-defiled, Come ye for whom the human love hath proved nest, |